Less & Less Gunning

Approved last week by Secretary of Agriculture Hyde but not at once published was a further revision of the Federal law on waterfowl. Last year the bag limit was reduced from 25 to 15 ducks per day, and four geese (including brant). The new revision shortens the gunning season in the North and West to ten weeks, in the southern Atlantic States to eight weeks: and further reduces the number of live goose decoys allowed to not more than ten. Cause for the change: serious drought in nesting areas, reported to have reduced this year's hatch of wildfowl to the smallest on record.

Secretary Hyde demonstrated last week that he plays no favoritism when it comes to protecting wild life. His instructions to his staff have been to publish in Department of Agriculture news releases stiff and salutary punishments for hunting out of season. The bad example selected last week came from the Secretary's home State of Missouri, from near Jefferson City where he lived as Governor for four years (1921-25). A hunter had killed one wild duck from a motor boat during the closed season. His Federal fine was $250.

Johnsons

Home in Manhattan from their Nairobi plantation with another series of animal films arrived Mr. & Mrs. Martin Johnson, naturalists de luxe. Their live importations: one cheetah, two monkeys, two chimpanzees, three gorillas (the seventh, eighth and ninth now resident in the U. S.), two red-fezzed Uganda boys, Manuel and Diosaner, who scoop up their gravy in their hands, are startled by ice cream.

Niagara Plunger

One woman and two men, all of them in well-padded containers, have gone over Niagara Falls and come up alive.* All of them went over the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. No man ever lived through a ride over the rock-bottomed American Falls. Yet last week a stray police dog blundered over the American side and came out to shake himself on the bank.

It was a hot day and the dog was playing alone in the shallow water near Prospect Park above the Falls. Fascinated tourists watched until a patrolman enticed the dog to shore, tethered him away from danger. The dog broke the rope, jumped into the cool river. The rapids caught him, carried him over the edge. He fell 165 ft., happened to land in a deep, quiet pool. One John Cavanaugh, candy concessionaire, leaped across the shore rocks, got the amazed dog to safety.

*Anna Edson Taylor, Oct. 24, 1901; Bobby Leach, July 25, 1911; Jean A. Laussier, July 4, 1928. Last July George Stathakis went over in a barrel, smothered to death while waiting rescue from the cataract below the Falls. Last May as well as the May before one William ("Red") Hill rode over the lower rapids in a barrel. He did not go over the Falls either time.

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